Thanks To All The Fantastic Schnauzerfesters

As of this minute, the total donations raised this year by Schnauzerfest stand at over £22,000! This is a phenomenal sum of money to have raised, and with two walks happening today to round off the 2016 Event, delighted is by far a huge understatement for how I feel. There’s been such widespread, active support across the UK, and beyond, which has resulted in this extraordinary feat of grassroots generosity.

Yesterday I received this thank you message from Donna on behalf of DBARC, one of the small animal rescues the money has gone to, and who’ll be using it to help schnauzers rescued from puppy farms over the coming months:

“Dear fantastic Schnauzerfesters, from a more than delighted DBARC!

How do we ever find enough words to adequately express our astonishment and deep gratitude? Schnauzerfest 2016 has been absolutely amazing, and so many wonderful people have taken part in it, in so many ways. We are finding it hard to believe the huge amount of money it has raised, and it’s all because of all of YOU!

We are well aware that Schnauzerfest involves a massive amount of time, effort, skill, ingenuity, altruism, and quite possibly “blood, toil, tears and sweat”, to borrow a Churchillian phrase, and that this is from many people in a quite extraordinary number of ways. It leads to a lot of fun, friendship, excitement and joy for all the two, three and four-legged participants! And because of the incredible generosity of all those participants, this year it has led to a staggeringly enormous total of funds raised, which will now go directly to improve the lives of Schnauzers that come into our care from a world where fun and joy were totally absent.

All many of these poor innocent little souls have ever known is a life of misery and fear, living in squalid confinement, some literally never seeing the sunshine, some physically unable to see it due to blindness, never hearing a kind word, or ever receiving a touch from a loving hand. Just imagine how their lives can be transformed with proper care, veterinary attention, and lots of love! With the benefit of your support, DBARC will again be bringing sunshine and love, fun and happiness into the lives of Schnauzers in desperate need.

We would like to say how overwhelmed we are, to all of you, starting with Janetta without whom none of it would ever have happened, or in fact actually starting with beloved Susie-Belle, as it is because of her that it happened, and whose presence we know is forever. And to the Schnauzerfest organisers, the gifted and oh so hard-working crafters, the bakers, the donors, the walk hosts, the supporters, and of course to the wonderful, beautiful, rightly adored Schnauzers and Honorary Schnauzers, we are so grateful. As Shakespeare says:

I can no other answer make but thanks, and thanks, and ever thanks…”

We’ll keep everyone updated with how DBARC use the money this year, and we hope you’ll all be along with us in 2017 to do the same again!